Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
227
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CLASSES & WORKSHOPS
Perfect for a rainy day or a time when y ou want a low-key activity, hands-on craft shops
provide space and equipment for customers to cr eate something useful to take home or
wrap up for G randma. Finding half-day or full-day wor kshops, on the other hand, is
more challenging. M ost of the many music, dance, ar t, and spor ts classes in the city
require time commitments from 4 weeks to the rest of your life. Below are a few options
that are available on a one-time basis. F or more information, visit www.gocitykids.com
and www.gokids.org.
ART CLASSES
Over at F ort M ason Center in the M arina is
San F rancisco
Children's Ar t Center
(Building C;
&
415/771-0292;
www.childrensartcenter.org), with a full schedule of
classes for kids from 2 to 10 years old. The center is open every day, and for $20 to $28
kids are allowed to join classes on a dr op-in basis. P hone for a schedule or check the
website. Another local ar t center for kids is
Purple Crayon
(301 Cornwall St., at Cali-
fornia St. and 4th A ve.;
&
415/831-0693;
www.purplecrayon.com). Weekdays from 3
to 6pm and Wednesday mornings from 10am to noon ar e “open studio” hours for kids
of all ages for $10 per child. A t other times, kids may drop in on classes if there is avail-
ability. Call ahead to inquire.
Destination Art
(900 Filbert St.,
&
415/350-4396;
www.destinationartsf.com) is a
lovely place for dr op-in classes or summer and holidays ar t camps. The first and thir d
Fridays of the month ar e movie night, from 6:30 to 9pm. D rop your child off for ar ts,
crafts, and a film scr eening for just $15. E very Saturday afternoon between 1 and 4pm
at the
Randall Museum
(p. 267), some sort of art project is on hand for kids. Past crafts
have included mask making, decorating paper lanterns, cr eating a Zen rock garden, and
making a sno w globe. Cost is minimal; $3 for kids or $5 for an adult/child combo
8
.
Saturdays are also gr eat at the
de Young Museum
(p. 179), wher e guides lead tours of
current exhibitions, followed by studio workshops taught by professional artist-teachers.
The program, free after paid admission, is from 10:30am to noon for all visitors and 1:30
to 3pm for museum members. I t's appropriate for kids ages 3 to 12, although childr en
under 8 must be accompanied b y an adult.
Other San Francisco museums offering art classes are the
SFMOMA
(p. 182), which
the third Sunday of every month offers a special family studio featuring hands-on pr oj-
ects for kids and docent-led tours, and the Contemporar y Jewish Museum, which offers
drop-in art classes on Sundays from 1 to 3pm. The
Cartoon Art Museum
(p. 179) also
has occasional car tooning workshops for older kids, and the
Museum of the African
Diaspora
(p. 180) hosts a family day on the thir d Saturday of the month, featuring ar t
projects inspired by current exhibits.
COOKING
Apron Strings
Ages 10 and up.
Conceiv ed and r un b y R oberta D es Bouillons, an
alumna of the C ulinary Institute of America in H yde Park, Apron Strings offers w eekly
cooking sessions for children. You can also reserve a spot in the 3-hour S aturday morning
workshops, which run from 9am to noon and cost $65. Classes cover everything from Ital-
ian cooking, cake baking, and pie making to seasonal soups and ethnic delights.The morn-
ing ends with students (and par ents) sharing the fr uits of their labors.
1187 Franklin St. (at
Geary St.) in the First Universalist Unitarian Church.
&
415/550-7976.
www.apronstringssf.com.
